Will Seattle win the division in 2013?

[warden]

The team who has the best luck on the injury front is the team that most likely wins the division

 

[Blitzer88]

I hope so, but it will be tough.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

The team who has the best luck on the injury front is the team that most likely wins the division

I agree, this division is becoming the new AFC Central/North or NFC East. Stellar teams mostly separated by injury.

 

[The Outfield]

The team who has the best luck on the injury front is the team that most likely wins the division

Thus, quality depth is important and I think that we have quality depth at nearly every position. Of course, if RW went down for several games, then the season would likely be over.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

The team who has the best luck on the injury front is the team that most likely wins the division

Thus, quality depth is important and I think that we have quality depth at nearly every position. Of course, if RW went down for several games, then the season would likely be over.

That's the Achilles heel of the current NFL model . The quarterback goes, your season goes, no 200.00 dollars and no pass/go. This is why we're stacking the roster. So that IF the worst happened we could do a Trent Dilfer with Brady Quinn.

 

[Jazzhawk]

It' fools gold to think the schedule means nothing. It means everything and I agree with Kip that the Seahawks got screwed by the NFL.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

The tough schedule is just going to increase our entertainment value

That part I agree with. Home games are going to be pretty boring, but we're going to have some wild road games next season.

Then again, we're going to have some games like Detroit, Miami, and Atlanta, too. When that happens I won't be visiting this place for a while.

In regards to who will win the division; I still hold on to belief that SF is still the better team at this moment. Might not be the case in the future, but this year as last year, I believe SF is still better - no homer. Last year we had our own scheduling shaft-party. Almost all of our better opponents were on the road. Minnesota became a playoff team, we played them away, in back to back weeks with east coast away games. Played GB on the road. Saints ended up not being good but that was a 13-3 team a year ago and we got them on the road also. Not to mention back to back road trips in December in two of the hardest places for opposing teams to play, @Pats and @Seahawks. NFC championship win on the road as well.

I think Seattle was better last season, but because they packed so much of their best football into the 2nd half of the season they had too big of a hole to dig out of and they weren't able to complete their comeback. Notable analysis sites like Football Outsiders and Coldhardfootballfacts agree. I think the 49ers deserve a lot of credit for playing good football the entire season, and I think they deserve a ton of respect.

I think you make a solid point about last year's schedule- I agree that it favored Seattle more and yet the 49ers still won. But as said before, Seattle took half a season to hit full speed, whereas I see next season as being far more competitive from start to finish because Wilson will start the season ready this time. Seattle will be better, but they will have what I consider to be a major scheduling handicap, and it upsets me that this handicap could potentially decide the race if it's as close as we expect it to be.

Edit: Awesome user name, btw.

Damn, it's May! Have some faith that Russell Wilson is in fact far better than Colin Keapernick all things being injury free.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

The schedule isn't any worse than what the Ninner's had to do last year so deal with it already! We will go 13-3/14-2 so this whole thing is moot.

 

[oasis]

I think you are all forgetting a crucial thing: we don't know how our D-line will do.

If the d-line meets it's potential:
We're 19-0. Mazal Tov, we're the 85' bears plus an offense that threatens to put up 60 points a game.

If the d-line is average by nfl standards:
we're 50/50 to win the division -- like kearly said. Depends on whether we shut out SF.

If the d-line is below average:
meh we'll still make a wild card.

:twocents:

 

[loafoftatupu]

I think the Hawks are going to win the West in a very close race. This team IS a better road team than they were in the past because they are a better team period.

I do not believe that the Niners are going to better because they have Boldin and Aso. They will have to play some rookies and that is always a toss up. They will win a lot of games still and still could win the NFCW. I just think that RW is going to re-write Seahawk road history. The 2005 team lost 3 road games, one was a garbage game that they could have won if they needed it. They won because they were a great team in general, not because they were a good road team.

This team is carrying a very talented roster from 2012, their only losses were in areas they have improved in. Then there is the Harvin factor. This dude is going to explode on a team that has already proven to be very dangerous offensively.

Package that up with RW and his skills/heart and this team will win most of its games regardless of who is lining up against them.

The best road teams are solid on defense, but they are even more solid at QB. Brady, Rodgers, Manning x2, Brees and Ryan. All of them win on the road and really, if we are talking about winning the division, we are talking about going 7-1 or even 8-0 at home and winning 5 road games. I can see that happening.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Call me a homer, and I never say this about any Seattle team, Seattle wins the division in a cakewalk! They put on another curbstomping on SF in week 2 and the ninnies never recover from, and Harbaughs loses the team before mid season. Rams sneak into 2nd place in NFC west in the last week!
Recongnize beotches! :th2thumbs:

 

[Lady Talon]

Only part I didn't like on the schedule was our short week @ SF game. Other then that with this team and schedule, if they win the SB, there'll be no excuses. No cupcake schedule, ride beast mode to a Lombardi anyways. There will be letdowns, but I doubt we'll be wearing the kid gloves for 10 games this year. RW will be given the playbook from day 1.

 

[Largent80]

"#3: That doesn't count Carolina, who was one of the NFL's hottest teams at the end of last season. Seattle faces Carolina in wacky week 1 where upsets are the norm. At 10am pacific time, which is still 1pm east coast time, in the Southern humid summer heat (Sept. 7th)."

If they were the hottest team at the end of the year and we are on the road at 10 am with the dreaded heat, then WE must not be favored, and since whacky upsets happen in week one, we WIN.

 

[bestfightstory]

"#3: That doesn't count Carolina, who was one of the NFL's hottest teams at the end of last season. Seattle faces Carolina in wacky week 1 where upsets are the norm. At 10am pacific time, which is still 1pm east coast time, in the Southern humid summer heat (Sept. 7th)."

If they were the hottest team at the end of the year and we are on the road at 10 am with the dreaded heat, then WE must not be favored, and since whacky upsets happen in week one, we WIN.

Largent80, once again flaunting sports betting misinformation...
Seattle is a 3.5point FAVORITE in week one.

 

[Anonymous]

It will only be 10:00am on the west coast and 1:00pm where the game will be played. The sun will be high in the sky then, and casting a glare on your TV screen in California. A difference of three hours before the game begins is meaningless. It is all about what time the players go to bed the night before.

Folks, please, it only means the game starts at an inconvenient time for y'all. I know skipping church and opening beers before noon creates a measure of guilt for which many will have to atone, but not for me, it'll be noon where I'm at.

We will win that game for every reason BUT the time, at that time...

 

[Hasselbeck]

"#3: That doesn't count Carolina, who was one of the NFL's hottest teams at the end of last season. Seattle faces Carolina in wacky week 1 where upsets are the norm. At 10am pacific time, which is still 1pm east coast time, in the Southern humid summer heat (Sept. 7th)."

If they were the hottest team at the end of the year and we are on the road at 10 am with the dreaded heat, then WE must not be favored, and since whacky upsets happen in week one, we WIN.

Largent80, once again flaunting sports betting misinformation...
Seattle is a 3.5point FAVORITE in week one.

He got Seattle at +1600 ML week one.

 

[NinerLifer]

I remember everybody posting these exact same concerns once the schedules came out for 2013. While some on here started having the same concerns that are being expressed in this thread, there seemed to be a lot more "so what" type of replies.

Does it only bother some of you more now that your concerns are recognized and shared by analysts on NFL.COM now?

 

[kearly]

It will only be 10:00am on the west coast and 1:00pm where the game will be played. The sun will be high in the sky then, and casting a glare on your TV screen in California. A difference of three hours before the game begins is meaningless. It is all about what time the players go to bed the night before.

Yeah... that's not how the body works. West coast teams have flown out half a week ahead on a few occasions and it didn't help. When you are talking about a very high level of competition like the NFL, where the best team could lose to the worst team on any given Sunday, just being 10% off your game makes a huge difference.

He got Seattle at +1600 ML week one.

lol.

I remember everybody posting these exact same concerns once the schedules came out for 2013. While some on here started having the same concerns that are being expressed in this thread, there seemed to be a lot more "so what" type of replies.

Does it only bother some of you more now that your concerns are recognized and shared by analysts on NFL.COM now?

I was one of the people who freaked about our schedule a bit the day it was announced. I made no secret that I hated it, based on the extremely high number of 10am starts (just one off of the maximum possible). But yes, I do hate it even more now after hearing Harrison's take on NFL.com, because he brought up further points I hadn't considered that make Seattle's schedule even more unfair than I thought it was.

I have a lot of respect for the 49ers. I think it's very possible that if the schedule inequality makes a 1 or 2 game difference that could easily swing the outcome. And I think that's lame on the NFL's part. They shouldn't actively handicap what will obviously be the league's top storyline next season.

 

[NinerLifer]

Agreed.

One thing I found interesting was the take on the Panther games.

Cam Newton is very likely to go off and throw up a 400-500 yard game to start the season in front of the home crowd, which could very well add to the already pointed out disadvantages of playing them in Carolina. Wasn't your game against Miami last year also in Miami, another hot and very humid place to play? Though if I remember correctly, the sprinklers coming on during the game provided a refreshing time to "chill".

 

[Bigpumpkin]

Agreed.

One thing I found interesting was the take on the Panther games.

Cam Newton is very likely to go off and throw up a 400-500 yard game to start the season in front of the home crowd, which could very well add to the already pointed out disadvantages of playing them in Carolina. Wasn't your game against Miami last year also in Miami, another hot and very humid place to play? Though if I remember correctly, the sprinklers coming on during the game provided a refreshing time to "chill".

If Cam Newton can put up 500 yards on our secondary, then we got BIG troubles!!